Golfing sisters Noraishah Alisa and Norezrina Alisa will play in the biggest event of their fledgling professional careers when they tee off in next week’s Hana Financial Group Championship at Adonis Country Club in Pocheon, Korea.
The Malaysian siblings are among six promising young golfers from Southeast Asia invited by Hana Financial Group to take part in the KRW1.5 billion (approx. US$1.2 million) event on September 30-October 3. The second edition of the tournament forms part of the new Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) Series organised by the Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF), a non-profit organisation founded last year to help advance women’s golf in Asia.
“When Hana Financial Group established the LPGA Hana Bank Championship in 2009, I was about seven years old, I would skip school and turn on the television and switch to the sports channel just to watch the tournament with my sisters Noraishah and Shahira. I am honored to be able to participate in the Hana Financial Group Championship even with the pandemic still going on,” said Norazrina, who is now 19.
Noraishah, who is two years older, noted: “I am so grateful to be given an opportunity to participate in this tournament hosted by the Hana Financial Group. I’m really excited to play in the event and looking forward to the game.”
The other invitees under the Hana Financial Group’s ‘Asia Prospects’ initiative are Singapore’s No 1 lady golfer Shannon Tan, and three young Thai players, Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, Jaravee Boonchant and Onkanok Soisuwan. The campaign aims to provide the new generation of emerging female golfers with the opportunity to compete in an international tournament despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to Korea LPGA players, the tournament will also see the participation of some of the world’s top women golfers including former World No 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, Australian star Minjee Lee and American Yealimi Noh.
Held without spectators and with stringent Covid-19 management measures in place, the tournament will also be eco-friendly in line with the Hana Financial Group’s ‘Big Step For Tomorrow’ campaign. A variety of recycled products will be introduced at the tournament, including plastic vases made from scrap materials and defective face masks which will be used as tee markers. These vases will then be distributed to the players.
Like last year’s event, the tournament will have a charity element where the Hana Financial Group will match any amount donated by the players from their winnings, while contributing an additional 30 million won to the local community.
